1. Field of the Invention
The invention, in general, relates to a transducer for converting electrical energy into acoustical signal energy and, more particularly, to a loudspeaker-diffusor combination for emitting sound in every direction substantially normal to a given axis.
2. The Prior Art
It is known in high-quality loudspeaker systems to combine two or more speakers covering different frequency ranges so that they may correspond as closely as possible to the frequency range of human audio perception, typically from about 20 to about 20,000 hertz. The same is also true of loudspeaker-diffusor combinations designed for 360.degree. sound emission, wherein an appropriate diffusor element is provided for the specific frequency range of substantially every speaker membrane. It is common practice in such speaker systems to position such diffusor elements opposite their associated membranes (see, for instance, DE 8,529,497.7; 4,331,059 and WO 9,007,103).
The draw-back of such systems is that their speaker and diffusor elements are statically connected to each other by external braces. The braces are thus positioned between the active surfaces of the membranes and the diffusors on one side and a listener on the other.
In addition to the further disadvantage inherent in the complexity of the assembly of these braces and the electrical wiring of the loudspeakers supported in or by the braces, measurable acoustic distortions of the sound emission occur as a result of the shadow effect of the braces. Moreover, appearance and design of such speaker systems usually are aesthetically unpleasing.